Australia complete convincing sweep after Mooney's big ton

Beth Mooney has hit a career-high 133 to power Australia to a 101-run victory over Pakistan at North Sydney Oval, sealing a 3-0 one-day series sweep.

Mooney’s 103-ball knock, her third hundred in the format, and Meg Lanning’s 72 laid the foundation for Australia’s 9-336 after the hosts were sent in by Pakistanin the third Commbank ODI.

Pakistan, led by skipper Bismah Maroof’s 44, produced a much-improved display with the bat following their innings of 8-160 and 125 all out in Brisbane, but simply did not have the firepower to reel in what would have been the largest chase in women’s ODI history, restricted to 7-235.

A strong new-ball display led by Pakistan quick Fatima Sana (3-53) made life difficult for Mooney and Phoebe Litchfield early, with the latter dismissed for the first time in ODIs when she was bowled for nine.

 

Mooney was scratchy early scoring just 10 runs from the first 30 deliveries she faced, but once she settled, the left-hander unleashed, striking 123 from her next 75.

Her fifty came off 61 balls, while at the other end Lanning was motoring from ball one, bringing up a half-century of her own, her second in as many innings second returning from a five-month hiatus, from 56 balls.

She reached the milestone in style, hammering an enormous six off 22-year-old debutant Tuba Hassan (0-69 off six) that smacked into the second floor windows of the Molly Dive stand.

Lanning’s charge towards a century ended abruptly on 72 when she was caught behind off the bowling of Diana Baig (2-56) immediately after the second drinks break, but there was no stopping Mooney.

A quick single saw Mooney to her third one-day ton, off 92 balls, as she raised the bat and saluted the North Sydney Oval crowd.

She then unleashed, dispatching leg-spinner Hassan for three consecutive sixes – the second landing on the roof of the O’Reilly Stand, before a near-identical effort a ball later bounced over the roof and out into the street.

Mooney bettered her previous ODI high score of 125no but her onslaught ended in the 36th over when she was stumped off the bowling of Nida Dar.

A total of 350-400 had looked on the cards for Australia, but regular wickets through the remainder of the innings thwarted that push; Ellyse Perry (15 off 26), Tahlia McGrath (30 off 30), Ashleigh Gardner (19 off 14) and Annabel Sutherland (26 off 13) all falling after making starts.

Australia’s 9-336 was nonetheless their third-highest women’s ODI total on home soil, and the highest at North Sydney Oval.

The tourists rung the changes for the series finale, making four changes including the installation of Sadaf Shamas at the top of the order alongside Sidra Amin.

Shamas started with intent and found the boundary six times before the 61-run opening stand was broken in unfortunate circumstances, with a mix-up seeing Shamas run out for 30.

Gardner made up for an earlier drop when she bowled Amin for 34, then dished out the same result to Maroof, with the Pakistan captain bowled for 44.

There was one bizarre moment when striker Nida Dar pulled out very late – too late for McGrath to abort her delivery, which bowled the allrounder – but umpire Claire Polosak determined it was a dead ball as Dar had been distracted by a noise, which turned out to be instructions shouted by the non-striker.

Dar impressed in a run-a-ball 29 before she was caught behind off the bowling of Sutherland, and Gardner’s third saw Ayesha Naseem hole out without scoring.

Gardner finished with 3-30 and Jonassen 2-25, but again Australia’s main blemish with the ball was in the extras column, after bowling 25 wides.

Australia and Pakistan now shift their attention to the 20-over format, with the first T20I to be played at North Sydney Oval on Tuesday.

Australia XI: Beth Mooney, Phoebe Litchfield, Meg Lanning (capt), Ellyse Perry, Tahl ia McGrath, Ash Gardner, Annabel Sutherland, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Kim Garth, Megan Schutt.

Pakistan XI: Muneeba Ali, Sidra Amin, Bismah Maroof (capt), Sadaf Shamas, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Ayesha Naseem, Fatima Sana, Tuba Hassan, Diana Baig, Nashra Sandhu.

CommBank ODI Series

Monday Jan 16:Australia won by eight wickets (DLS method)

Wednesday Jan 18:Australia won 10 wickets

Saturday Jan 21:Australia won by 101 runs

Buy #AUSvPAK ODI tickets here

Australia ODI squad: Meg Lanning (c), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland

Pakistan ODI squad: Bismah Maroof (c), Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Naseem, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Kainat Imtiaz, Muneeba Ali, Nashra Sandhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz, Tuba Hassan